Anyone here work or drive for Waste Management or other garbage companies? I've been driving for WM for almost 3 years now, Residential Recycle for 2.5 years and Commercial Front End for a little while now.

my nexd door neighbor is a garbage man for WM. he's 65. he's a huge meat head, and goes to the gym twice a day. when he retired, he got bored, and a couple of his buddies from his gym said he should come work with them. he now goes to the gym every morning at 4:00am, works with his friends, and then is back home by 3:00pm grilling out, having a beer with his wife and grandkids. this is his daily routine and he says he couldn't be happier.

I stayed federal when I left the Navy but always thought WM would be a cool job. Most under appreciated job ever! I've been to countries where they don't pick up trash and it's not pretty. Thanks guys!

We make @ $26 here for City Gov run sanitation. Private Co. @ here make $30-$34. Note: we live around the Central Coast of Cali. One of the most expensive locals. Average CDL jobs @ here pay $25- $30 per hr for most other truck driving jobs.

I'm in northwest florida, they do our pay with 'incentive' pay stuff so hourly fluctuates but when i did residential it was usually $12-13 an hour with it going up to $15 sometimes on a good with where i helped on other routes.. now on commercial front end i average $20 an hour but it's been $21-22 on good weeks. we're being cut off at 57 hours now as a company rule.. which is plenty lol still have to have a life! but the benefits at WM are good, mine are cheap as hell being that I am single and have no kids. stressful job though that's for damn sure!!

Those are just a few of the pictures I've taken to cover my ass when messes are made or I refuse to attempt servicing a can lol.. I have hundreds more on my phone.. some worse than those even. That kind of crap, traffic, people who don't know how to park, & overhead obstacles or cans located in dangerous spots since there are no other options make it extremely dangerous if you aren't always 100% focused.. we did just get brand new compressed natural gas trucks though!

I'm not a driver but I am the Frontload Dispatcher for Republic Services. All I know is I make more then Resi/Sideload drivers and they are hourly. Roll Off and Frontload drivers are all incentive. Frontload is how many hours to how many yardage. Roll Off off is how many minutes per hour of work. Each box is based on minutes.

I'm not a driver but I am the Frontload Dispatcher for Republic Services. All I know is I make more then Resi/Sideload drivers and they are hourly. Roll Off and Frontload drivers are all incentive. Frontload is how many hours to how many yardage. Roll Off off is how many minutes per hour of work. Each box is based on minutes.

Hey Bro, Check out our forum and pass it on to your drivers, if they might be interested? Everyone in the Industry is welcome there, landfill,fleet mechanics,dispatch,recycle drivers etc etc! sanitationwan.net
thanks, Gman taco lover!

I have considered a career change. Haven't done any research. However, I've heard it's not an easy gig to get into. It would be a huge change for me. I have a Masters in Educational Leadership, but don't want to pursue that any further. I know I would have to get my CDL. Not too worried about obtaining it. What do you suggest as far as getting hired on?

I have considered a career change. Haven't done any research. However, I've heard it's not an easy gig to get into. It would be a huge change for me. I have a Masters in Educational Leadership, but don't want to pursue that any further. I know I would have to get my CDL. Not too worried about obtaining it. What do you suggest as far as getting hired on?

A lot of Sanitation jobs only require the CDL as a prerequisite to apply. And some Gov. run Sanitation agencies hire temps to get a foot in the door. But typically most drivers have some prior CDL driving experience. It depends a lot on where you live, what type of trucks they run and whether they have a need for an entry level worker? If you are seriously interested, I'd go ahead and get the CDL and go from there. In California there are driving Schools that charge anywhere from $2000 to $3500 to train you and promise to help you find work. But I always tell people to study the Dept. Motor Vehicles CDL handbook, take the written test and then try to find someone with a 10wheel truck to go do your driving test. Sometimes a Church or Business will loan or rent you a Commercial vehicle. But you may need a driver to take it to the test site. If you can line all of that up, you'd save some $$$. Check with your State DMV regarding they're requirments though. Good luck!

ps. I would also tell you to take a look at our forum and I have a section at the bottom I try to update with job openings when I hear of them. Some major companies have nationwide job listings. Besides that, you can learn a little about our industry on the forum and get a feel for what its all about. We are starting to get some members putting videos and such that can familiarize you with some of the different equipment.